Plaintiffs want presidential recount in Florida

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with local farmers at Bedners Farm Fresh Market in Boynton Beach, Fla. Florida Gov. Scott may serve as a model and warning for President-elect Donald Trump. Both opposed the Republican establishment, spoke forcefully on cracking down in immigration and vowed to battle insiders in the capital. But Scott, after taking office, was forced to drop campaign promises, shift his stance on key issues, abandon much of his go-it-alone stance and deal with an ongoing divide with members of his own party. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File)(Photo: AP)

Three Central Florida voters are mounting an unlikely bid to overturn the presidential election in the Sunshine State.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Leon Circuit Court, they assert that Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump, actually won Florida. The plaintiffs, who live in Osceola and Volusia counties, say the state’s official election results were off because of hacking, malfunctioning voting machines and other problems.

They're asking for a hand recount of every paper ballot in Florida, at the expense of defendants including President-elect Trump, Gov. Rick Scott and the 29 Republican presidential electors from Florida.

But even lawyers for the plaintiffs acknowledge time isn’t on their side. Clint Curtis, an Orlando attorney representing the plaintiffs, said the defendants may not respond by the time the Electoral College meets on Dec. 19.

"They can ignore it entirely,” he said.

He said he has received a “deluge” of reports from voters across the state of problems on election day, including people being turned away at the polls and told they’d already voted. Florida Division of Elections officials reported only a few "minor issues" on election day.

“He’s mentioned he wants to fix the rigged system,” he said. “This will give the opportunity to do that. If it were a normal politician, I’d say our chances are very slim. But it’s not a normal politician — it’s Donald Trump.”

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.